The Scottish government has announced it will provide £5m to re-open the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) Support Fund for 2024-25.
For five consecutive years the fund has offered cash incentives and ‘Travel Better’ credits to remove non-compliant vehicles from Scotland’s roads.
Delivered through Energy Saving Trust, the programme is means-tested and offers help to those most affected by the introduction of LEZs.
It provides people and small businesses with financial support to enable them to travel more sustainably and meet established air quality standards.
The Low Emission Zone Support Fund provides households and smaller businesses with a grant of £2,000 to incentivise disposal of a non-LEZ standard vehicle.
It also offers up to a further £1,000 in mobility grants or ‘Travel Better’ credits to purchase a bike, e-bike or public transport vouchers.
Some £2m of the overall package will enable the retrofitting of light goods vehicles, heavy goods vehicles and taxis through the LEZ Retrofitting Fund for micro-businesses.
Collectively, the two funding steams represent the Low Emission Zone Support Fund – and both are delivered through Energy Saving Trust.
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Scotland’s cabinet Secretary for transport, Fiona Hyslop, said: “I’m pleased to open the Low Emission Zone Support Fund for its fifth round of support.
“LEZs are a vital public health measure and by providing financial assistance to people and businesses that need it most, we’re ensuring that the transition to wider LEZ enforcement happens in a fair way.”
Since 2019, the Scottish government has reportedly provided more than £13m through the Low Emission Zone Support Fund.
What’s more, over 4,000 non-compliant vehicles have reportedly been disposed of or retrofitted with cleaner technology.
This includes support for taxi drivers, with more than 450 taxis being retrofitted with the help of grant funding since 2019.
At the same time, the fund has reportedly enabled the purchase of more than 2,000 bikes, e-bikes or cargo bikes for homes and businesses.
Wider enforcement of LEZs are currently underway in Glasgow, with Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh enforcement commencing in the coming weeks.
Achievements and innovations in road-user charging and sustainable urban mobility will be celebrated at the third annual CiTTi Awards, which will be held on 26 November 2024 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Nominations are open now! Please visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector.
